March 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Brazilian government said it
won’t deal with FIFA’s top administrator after he criticized the
country’s preparations for the 2014 soccer World Cup.

The organizers of sports most-watched event needed a
“kick,” General Secretary Jerome Valcke said three days ago at
a meeting in England. Over the weekend, Brazilian Sports
Minister Aldo Rebelo labeled the comments as “unacceptable”
and said the government will cease to recognize Valcke.

“The government can no longer have the secretary general
as a representative,” Rebelo, a former congressman for the
government-aligned Communist party, told reporters in Brasilia.
“We need a representative who has the ability to understand the
level of responsibilities required for this type of
relationship,” he said.

Relations between FIFA and the Brazilian government became
strained as the country failed to ratify legislation on hosting
the tournament. Brazil had committed to passing the bill when it
was awarded the right to stage the $5 billion event five years
ago. FIFA has also complained about delays in building stadiums
and other infrastructure needed.

Rebelo said he would communicate the government’s decision
to cut ties with Valcke with FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Brazil, the record five-time winner of the tournament, will host
the World Cup in 2014 for the first time in 64 years.

Understanding

Rebelo said the special law would be voted on by a
congressional committee next week and that its approval was
taking place at a “reasonable pace.”

Valcke, a Frenchman, said he was surprised by Rebelo’s
reaction and dismissed it as childish.

“I made one comment saying things are not working well and
I for once say exactly what is happening in Brazil,” Valcke
told reporters after a meeting in Bagshot, England, two days
ago. “If the result is they don’t want to talk to me anymore,
I’m not the guy they want to work with, then that’s a bit
puerile.”

Valcke, in England for a meeting of soccer’s rulemakers,
the International Football Association Board, has been vocal
about the lack of preparedness in Brazil for the past year. He
said he had no intention of backing away from heading FIFA’s
efforts to organize the tournament and would travel to Brazil to
meet with event planners in two weeks.

Valcke said he was frustrated with the “endless
discussions” in congress about the proposed World Cup law.

He said FIFA had made concessions to get the bill passed,
like accepting demands for reduced priced tickets for senior
citizens and changing the wording of what it required in
government guarantees. The two sides have yet to agree on the
sale of alcohol in stadiums, illegal in Brazil. FIFA’s demands
for sponsor protection have also sparked criticism.